Just The Beginning
by BadWolfOncer
Summary: The gang starts their senior year of high school. The year will be filled with homecoming, prom, basketball games, and college applications. But will something dark and evil threaten their way of life?
1. Chapter 1

**Hey Ya'll. I hope you enjoy this new Recess story. I firmly believe that we are not the same people from elementary school or even from a year ago. I hope you all like my Spinelli. Also, I believe they live in Arkansas? I changed that. Although that won't come up until later. Enjoy!**

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><p>Ashley Spinelli was looking at herself in her full length mirror. It was her first day of her senior year and she couldn't help but reflect on how much she had grown since elementary school.<p>

When she was in the fourth grade she didn't put up with any shit and was likely to kick your ass. People now say that's she's gone soft, but truth is, she just grew up. She still won't put up with shit. But she is less likely to kick your ass. She had joined the middle school dance team in seventh grade when Ashley A dared her and after that was cancelled, cheerleading. She made new friends(she stayed close to the gang also) and she became more girly. She started to brush her hair more and began to wear flattering clothes. She even wore a little bit of makeup.

At first the changes startled her friends. They wondered what happened to the old Spinelli and Tj even wondered if they were going to start calling her Ashley. When he got punched for saying that, they knew they still had the old Spinelli. She liked they way she looked now. And so did the boys. She dazzled them with her warm brown eyes and painted full lips. She had curves in all the right places and had a dancers body.

She looked at herself and decided she looked good. She was wearing a purple scoop neck shirt and skinny jeans. She threw on a black leather jacket and some black flats. Nodding to herself she moved her bangs to the side and brushed her straight raven-colored shoulder length hair. She was looking over her makeup when she she heard a familiar voice.

"You look fine."

She wirled around fast and put her hand on her chest. What she saw was a very familiar face. A smile crept up on her face."Hey, Badboy. Thought I told you not to do that anymore?" Spinelli asked as she put her hands on her hip.

"Maybe you should lock your window." The boy said with a smile.

"Well, that might give you the wrong impression. "

"Like what?" He questioned.

"That I don't want you up here."

When Spinelli said those words, the boy's smile spread into a grin. He opened up his arms and offered the girl a hug. She walked over and rested in his arms. She had missed these hugs almost as much as she missed the guy himself, TJ Detweiler. These hugs were her favorite because her petite size got swallowed up in his height. It was comical to see her 5'2 self and his 6'6 body tangled together.

"Don't leave me again." Spinelli said. "Summer's not worth it if you're not here."

"You know I had to go to that basketball camp. I gotta show them I really am a top recruit!"

"Yeah, I know. I just really missed ya. Gretch was at brainiac camp, Gus was visiting his grandparents in Germany, And Vince had football. I love Mikey and all, but I can only take so much of him." She said pulling away. She smiled to herself as she took in his image. It was hard to believe that this was the same guy she knew in elementary school. He was no longer chubby. He had muscles from playing basketball. His blue eyes still shined with mischief and his nose and cheeks held the same boyhood freckles. He was wearing a royal blue T-shirt, ripped jeans, and black converse. On his light brown hair was a red cap that was the symbol of their childhood.

TJ rolled his eyes. "It couldn't of been that bad."

"Oh, you don't even know." She said as she picked up her shoulder bag. "He tried to drag me to karaoke night at the nursing home. He succeed only twice."

TJ chuckled. "I'm surprised you went those times."

"Yeah, well. He caught me in a weak moment."

TJ picked up his backpack off the floor and looked at Spinelli. He couldn't help but think that no matter how much she missed him, he had missed her so much more. Being at basketball camp was cool. There were NBA players and coaches for college teams. But he wished he could be here with Spinelli. Down at the dock or even at Kelso's. They texted and even talked on the phone, but it was not the same.

"You ready to go? Don't want to be late on our first day of senior year!" TJ cheered.

"Gee, I can't wait."

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><p>"Oh TJ! How I've missed thee!" Hollered Mikey Blumberg.<p>

"Hey Big Guy! I missed you too." TJ said walking up to his friends in the schools court yard.

"It's great to have you back, man." Vince LaSalle said to his best friend, patting him on his back.

"It's good to back. I've missed all of you." TJ replied.

Spinelli couldn't help but smile as she looked at her friends. They've all changed since 4th grade and in some ways stayed the same. Vince was still his athletic self. He played football in the fall and baseball in the spring. He could have any girl he wanted but there was really only one he liked. That made her look at Gretchen. Gretchen was her best girl friend. She was so smart and so pretty. She got rid of her glasses in 8th grade and got contacts. She dresses very feminine and wears her red hair in soft waves. Mikey was still his gentle self. He loved poetry and he was in choir. He had lost a lot of weight when he joined the soccer team. He was still a big guy but it was muscle now. Gus had probably changed the most in appearance out of all of them. He had grown to 6'0 and works out regularly. You will always see him in his army boots.

Suddenly, the bell rung, knocking Spinelli out of her thoughts. They made their way to the front door and she was hit with reality. This was her last first day of high school. TJ put his arm around her shoulders. "Don't worry." He said, sensing her thoughts. "This is just the beginning."

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><p><strong>I don't really like the ending but I couldn't figure out what else to do. Please review!<strong>


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey Ya'll. I was going to update earlier but my internet has been out because of storms. We had a bunch of tornados yesterday and people died. So please pray for my state. Thanks! I'm on the fence with this chapter. Just tell me what you think. I really don't mean for them to be so short but I feel that it was a good cut off. So please review! And also, a big thanks to the people who reviewed last chapter!**

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><p>Spinelli changed into cut off shorts and a blue spaghetti strap shirt. She laid down on her bed and thanked the Lord that the day was over. She never did like school and was glad that this was her last year. She seemed to have a few good classes this term so it shouldn't be that bad. Just as she was about to close her eyes, her phone vibrated.<p>

**Meet me at the dock- TJ**

She smiled and slipped on some flip flops.

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><p>The dock wasn't too far from her house, about a mile. She set off on foot. <em>Man, I really need to get my license.<em> She thought. It was a beautiful day out. The late summer sun was up burning bright in the sky. She walked past her neighbor Mr. Wales. He was mowing his lawn and the fragrance of fresh grass filled the air. Soon Mr. Wales would be raking up crisp fall leaves. She walked down the little gravel lane that leads to the dock. When she got there she saw TJ sitting on the edge of it with his feet in the water.

She smiled at the memory of when they found the dock. They were eleven and they were bored one spring afternoon. They would come here almost every weekend they didn't have a group activity going on. The tall grasses and cattails brought back memories of catching frogs and making home made fishing poles and trying to catch fish with them. They've never told anyone of this place and they liked the fact that they had their own little secret.

"Hey, Teeje. Why'd you wanna meet out here?" She asked as she sat next to him. She noticed that he had changed into shorts also. She smiled and thought that this should've been their summer. Just the two sitting on the dock. _This could've been our last summer together._ She felt her heart squeeze a little at the thought. He was going to college next year and would probably spend his summer with preparations for that. She didn't know what she was doing yet but she was afraid that her time with him was limited.

"I just wanted to hang out. I haven't seen you all summer and we haven't seen each other all day. It sucks not having a class with you." He said turning toward her. He was wearing sunglasses, but she knew his eyes shone with laughter. That was TJ. Always happy. "Tell me about your classes."

"Uh, well, First block I have senior math topics, which sucks. But I have Gus so it ain't so bad. For second I have English 4. I'm pretty alone in that class. Lauren's in there. You know, Swinger Girl? She kinda talked to me. I have Spanish 2 in third with Vince and then I see Gretchen at lunch. Fourth is college readiness. Sam and Dave are in there and we talked today. I think we might get along pretty well. As long as Dave doesn't try to boss me around. And fifth is art 4. I love that class because its art but Lawson is in there. Can you believe that he had to redo his senior year?" Spinelli asked TJ.

"I say it's pretty funny. Rumor is he only had to sit through health but he didn't want to sit in a class with freshman. I bet he does it this year."

"Yeah." Spinelli agreed. All he had to do was take one class. That's about as dumb as dropping out your senior year. While she was talking she laid down on her back. The wood dock was hot from the sun. She would feel it move at times with the water. She looked up at the clouds. JT followed suit. She remembered doing this in a circle with the gang when they were about 7. They would find little pictures in them. Mikey would find a bunny, and Gretchen would fine a test tube. Vince and TJ would see baseballs and footballs. She even found her favorite wrestler one time. She longed for those simpler times. "Why don't you tell me about your classes?"

"They're pretty boring. I have AP psychology for first. Gretch is in there. Then I have pre-cal. There's nobody really in that class to talk to. Which is probably a good thing. I won't pass if I don't pay attention. I have English 4 for third. Mikey is in there. But so is Randall. It's only the first day and he is on my nerves. Man, I swear sometimes I just have to look at him and be annoyed. Fourth is Physics, I have Gus. And Vince is with me in Gym 4."

"Mmm." Was her reply. She closed her eyes and loved the feeling of the sun baking on her skin. She was glad that it wasn't an overly humid day. And that's what they did for the rest of the afternoon. They just talked. Conversation came easy for them and they had a lot of catching up to do.

Soon the sun started to set and the frogs were coming out. Soon it would be dark enough to see lightning bugs. They knew that they would have to go home soon.

"You know, I really missed you this summer. I know I said it before. But I really did." TJ said sitting up. He put his hat back on and was getting ready to put on his shoes.

Spinelli sat up and stretched. She tried to fix her hair as best as she could. She smiled. "I really missed you too. It's sad that we couldn't go two months without each other. First me leaving to visit my aunt in California and then you leaving for basketball camp. I say we're too co-dependent." She joked.

"Nah." He smiled. "We're just best friends and you mean a whole lot to me. I couldn't imagine my life without you." He looked into her deep brown eyes. Those eyes held so much sparkle and so much life. He really couldn't imagine his life without her. So many of his adventures had her in them. She was his first friend, his first kiss, his crush...He felt their heads go toward each other. Their lips were centimeters about. He could feel her breath on his face. and he could smell the sweet mint of her gum. He heard her breath hitch as there lips were about to touch.

Then her phone rings. Spinelli sighed and looked away. Spinelli answered her phone. He could hear the high pitched voice of her mom on the other side of the phone. "I better go. That was my mom. She's freaking out that i wasn't home earlier."

"Okay. I'm just going to stay here for a little while longer.

"Okay, Teeje. I'll see you tomorrow." Spinelli said getting up. She made her way down the familiar route to her house.

_What the hell was that?_ She thought on her way home. _Were we about to kiss? We can't do that. That would ruin our friendship._ She always knew they had a special relationship outside of the gang. But could she have feelings for him? She shook the thought out of her head. _Spinelli, You're being crazy. You don't like TJ. And what makes you think he would like you_ anyways?She suddenly felt very tired. She didn't eat supper or even take a shower. She just fell on her bed and dreamt of a kiss that didn't happen._  
><em>


	3. I'm so sorry

Hey y'all. You will not believe how sorry I am about not updating. I graduated high school in May, and right after I went to the other side of the country to live with my sister until October. Her wireless internet wouldn't work with my laptop, so I couldn't update. Can you somehow updated on an IPhone? That would be awesome. I am truly sorry! Hopefully I'll get back into the swing of things.

Also, I just need to know if anyone is interested in this story. I'm not one to beg for reviews but it helps to know that someone is reading this and is generally interested. So, please let me know! I greatly appreciate it!

Thank you for the understanding!


	4. Chapter 4

_**Hey Y'all! I hope you all enjoy this chapter! I would like to give an extra special thanks to iHeartE.D. Without her this chapter would be nothing! Thank you! Also, don't forget to review! It makes me super happy! (:**_

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><p>Spinelli made her way to the school's gym for cheerleading practice the moment the last bell rang. She would be the first to tell anyone that even she was surprised to be a cheerleader. If Ashley A had not told Spinelli there was no way she could make the dance team, she would not have been spending her Tuesday and Thursday afternoons practicing with people she didn't really like. Spinelli couldn't pass up a challenge, so she endured the two day clinics and the tryout to prove a point. Once she made it, she rubbed it in the Ashleys' faces. Unfortunately, it was a month and a half before the first competition when Coach Emmitt decided that she didn't like being so far away from her family, and made the decision to move back to California. Before she left she told Spinelli that that she thought she was an amazing dancer and that she should try her hand at cheerleading. At first, Spinelli was repulsed by the idea. She wouldn't be caught dead prancing around in a short skirt and ponytail, but Coach Emmitt wouldn't give up. She had seen the potential in her and personally asked the cheer coach, Coach Mays, if she would take Spinelli even though tryouts were already over and they had started practice. When Coach Mays agreed, Coach Emmitt became more persistent. (Spinelli turned her down politely, at first, but it was beginning to irritate her the longer it continued.) The turning point was when Coach Emmitt showed Spinelli a video of the University of Kentucky cheerleaders. Spinelli was amazed at the way they could just fly through the air, flip and tumble with such ease. She thought it would be cool to be able to do that. With that as her reasoning, she joined the team and took tumbling lessons on the daily. Besides, it wasn't as bad as she thought it would be. Cheerleaders aren't as bitchy as they're made out to be in movies. Sure, there were a couple of girls who didn't like Spinelli, but she figured they wouldn't like her even if they weren't cheerleaders.<p>

With a heavy sigh, Spinelli walked over to a blonde girl named Cora. She was probably the only person she got along with most outside of the gang. She kind of felt that Cora was like the little sister she never had. She took her under her wing last year when Cora was a freshman. She had looked so lost at their first practice that Spinelli couldn't help but feel sorry for her. She didn't seem like someone Spinelli would hang out with because the girl almost always wore dresses, and her lips usually sparkled with pink lip gloss, and her fingernails were always perfectly manicured.

When Cora saw her, her face lit up and she smiled and waved. "Hey, Spinelli."

"Hey, Cora."

"What are you doing this weekend?" She asked once Spinelli was settled beside her. On the other side of Cora sat an Asian girl named Heather that she got along okay with. The moment Spinelli heard those words, she knew what was coming. Cora was going to ask her to go to the movies. Cora always wanted to go to the movies and there wouldn't be anything wrong with that. Except for the fact that the movies Cora wanted to see were all really dumb, Like a guy with machete hands chasing dumb teens.

"That depends", Spinelli paused, gathering her dark hair into a ponytail and tying it up with a purple elastic band. "Are you going to ask me to see another movie with you?"

"Oh, come on! It'll be fun! It's called Jackhammer. It's the new scary movie out. I'm sure you'll like it!"

"That's what you said about the last movie we went to." Spinelli reminded Cora. Despite how much she dreaded the idea of a movie, part of Spinelli felt awful for not hanging out with Cora more often. One more movie couldn't hurt, could it? "Who all is going?"

Cora clapped her hands together excitedly because she knew that usually meant Spinelli would be going.

"Well, us of course." She said gesturing to herself, Spinelli and Heather. "And our dates. Heather's boyfriend has a car and he's going to pick me and Ricky up at my house." Ricky was Cora's on and off again boyfriend for a year and a half. Spinelli didn't know why Cora put up with him. He was a year older than Cora, making him a junior, and he thought he was tough shit. His personality was vastly different from Cora's bubbly one. He cussed all the time and he had spent some time in Juvie. Spinelli didn't know what for, and she wasn't sure she wanted to find out. Spinelli was pretty sure he was in gang and he was pretty annoying, but what was more annoying was Ricky and Cora together. They were either all over each other or fighting. Two things Spinelli did not want to see or hear.

"Awesome!" Spinelli said sarcastically as she moved to stretch on the gym floor. "I get to be the third wheel."

"Bring a date." Heather suggested, moving next to Spinelli to do toe touches.

"You make it sound easy. Who am I supposed to bring on a date?"

"Why not bring TJ? You two are close."

"Yeah! That's such a good idea!" Cora agreed.

Usually Spinelli would've said 'okay' without thinking, but something stopped her. Would it be weird for her to bring him when Heather and Cora are on an actual date? It wouldn't be a real date for her and TJ though, so it shouldn't matter. They've gone to the movies together plenty of times. It wouldn't be so bad. Spinelli wouldn't have thought so much about this if it wasn't for the almost kiss. Well, she was almost sure they were going to kiss. You don't get close to someone's face without the intention of kissing them, but then again, maybe Spinelli was wrong. That "almost kiss" was a few days ago and as far as she could tell TJ still acted the same around her.

_I could be reading too much into this. _She thought to herself. If he wasn't acting weird than neither should she.

"Okay," she said after a minute, "I'll ask him."

Cora and Heather both squealed with excitement, chatting between the three of them as they decided what time to meet up. Spinelli couldn't put it out of her mind all practice. When it was finally 6 o'clock, Spinelli packed up and made her way home from practice. The high school wasn't too far away from her house, so she normally walked. Thankfully, it was still daylight out and for that, she was glad. "Hopefully I can get my license before the days get shorter." she mutters to herself. She wasn't much of a wimp but there was just something about not being able to see everything around you, even with the street lights, which gave her the creeps.

While she was walked, she thought of how to ask TJ to the movies. It was important that she didn't make it sound like a big deal. She also didn't want it to sound like she was asking him on a date. Short, sweet, and to the point. On that note, Spinelli began a new text, explaining to TJ that Cora and Heather had wanted to go to the movies Saturday night and wondered if he wanted to join. He replied a few seconds later with a "sounds great" just as she reached her front door.

The smell of her mother's meatloaf drifted out from the inside as she opened the door. Spinelli was just hungry enough to hear her stomach grumble and she raced inside.

"I'm home, mom!" Spinelli yelled, tossing her cheer bag to the side by the stairs and slipping off her shoes.

"Hey Pookie, supper will be ready in just a minute. I'm just waiting on the rolls." Her mother called back from the kitchen. With a loud, exhausted groan, she plopped down on the couch. Her father was sitting in a recliner next to her, distracted by the TV and muttering to himself.

She was busy texting TJ back when she heard her father say, "Such a shame."

Spinelli looked up at him and noticed that he was watching the news. A photo of a pretty red haired girl was on the screen and the news lady was speaking:

"Seventeen year old Isobel Spring was last seen on Sunday afternoon at around 3:15 pm. She was last seen wearing a green t-shirt, denim capris, and a silver star necklace. She is the third teenage girl to go missing near Little Rock in the past five months. If anyone has any information regarding Isobel or the other missing girls, please call the number at the bottom of the screen. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families affected by these unfortunate circumstances."

"Hey, dad?" Spinelli asks as the news turns to the weather.

"Oh, hi there, Pookie. I didn't see you come in. What's up?" He blinks tiredly and squeezes the bridge of his nose, smiling.

"Is it alright if I go to the movies this Saturday? Cora wants to see that new movie Jackhammer."

"I don't know." He says hesitantly, looking away from the five day forecast. "You just heard on the news that another girl was missing. I don't think it would be too smart for you to be walking around the city."

"Come on, Dad. I won't be walking around the city. TJ is going, if that makes you feel better."

Spinelli could see that he was seriously thinking about it. She understood that the missing girl situation was serious, but she was just going to the movies. Could something really happen from the walk from the car to the theater? Her father knew she was tough, though not tough enough to take on a grown man, but TJ would be there. That should be good enough she thought.

"Well, alright, but be careful. There are a lot of crazy people out there."

"I always am!" Spinelli says, perking up just as her mother comes in to let them both know that dinner is ready. Strangely enough, Spinelli was actually looking forward to the weekend, despite how much the movie would undoubtedly whomp.

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><p><em><strong>Review please!<strong>_


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